Bangladesh lose 5 by lunch
Cheema took 2 wickets by now
© AFP
Bangladesh were 52/5 before lunch in the First Test against Pakistan at Chittagong. Their top order graced the first session of the Chittagong Test with a display of brazen carelessness, to make a masterstroke out of Misbah-ul-Haq's strange call to bowl first on a flat pitch.
The senior-most batsmen in the line-up - Tamim Iqbal, Mohammad Ashraful and Shakib Al Hasan - led the way, succumbing to three of the most atrocious strokes of the morning. Things would have been far worse if not for Nazimuddin, who showed more grit in his first session of Test cricket than some of his colleagues have shown in the entire year.
Misbah makes people wonder about his toss decisions, but usually ends up with the last laugh. The same happened at Abu Dhabi and now here in Chittagong. The Bangladeshi batsmen were equal partners in making the decison look great though. Poor technique and lack of temperament were there for all to see. They have not understood the word called 'patience' in their 11 year Test career. Tamim and Shakib, their two best players were the guilty ones as far as lack of patience goes.
Aizaz Cheema his fourth ball across Tamim, who responded with a hard-handed drive well away from his body to edge behind. In his next over, Shahriar Nafees got a better delivery when he was still on zero, and perished while groping in front of his body without getting decisively forward or backward. Ashraful ended nicking to Adnan Akmal.
Saeed Ajmal removed Mushfiqur Rahim in his first over with an offbreak that spun in sharply to trap him in front. Shakib was caught minutes before lunch adding to the woes of his team.
© Cricket Companion
